The State of Hip Hop meeting leads to questions from the community

Artists Toki Wright and Slug participated in a panel discussion on media and hip-hop (Photos by Jay Gabler/MPR)

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On Monday night at Intermedia Arts, 140 passionate representatives from the Twin Cities hip-hop community came out to discuss the upcoming event that MN Original and the Current are planning for May 10 at the Fitzgerald Theater.

As is the nature of many open meetings, the conversation bounced around quite a bit and touched on everything from the relationship between media outlets and the hip-hop community to concerns that people had about the event—and specifically whether MN Original and the Current (and their parent companies, tpt and MPR) had any business hosting a hip-hop show.

To say that the conversation gave all of us a lot to think about is an understatement; personally, I’ve spent the past few days deep in reflection digesting everything that was heard and said, while discussing the meeting with my colleagues resulted in more questions than answers. But I do know one thing for certain: If we are going to proceed with this event, we need to do it as transparently as possible, and the community at large deserves to know exactly what our goals are before more details are confirmed or announced.

The following are some essential questions that arose from the meeting, with some thoughts from a few different organizers behind the event.

Who is planning the event?

Although we have said that the event is being planned by the Current and MN Original, I thought it might be helpful to explain exactly who is behind the event and how to contact us.

Why did we decide to put this event together?

The event originated in a discussion between the Current and tpt about how they could collaborate on a show about Minnesota music. Because these conversations began between the Current’s Jim McGuinn and tpt‘s Dianne Steinbach and David Roth, I asked them to weigh in on how the process got started.

“The Current and tpt have collaborated a few times recently, turning the past two Rock the Gardens into TV specials,” Jim McGuinn said. “An idea was fostered to have a music event at the Fitz, with the goal being that tpt would turn it into TV and the Current into a radio show. Starting from that point, we kicked around a variety of ideas, from tributes to MN icons like Bob Dylan to shows that would celebrate music from a variety of genres, eventually deciding that we thought the most interesting story we could try to tell was the story of hip hop in Minnesota. Talk to most people from out of state and they look at you sideways when you tell them how big hip hop is in this frigid northern state.”

“For those who may not know, MN Original (mno) is a local arts series on tpt that showcases Minnesota visual and performing artists and features artists from all of the creative disciplines, and we have featured many hip-hop artists over the last five years,” Dianne Steinbach added. “The artists perform and talk about their art in their own words. Viewers always comment that what they love most about mno is that they discover artists they didn’t know existed and that they are amazed at how many cool creative people live here. MN Original is very much about bringing the artists who live and work here, to the attention of the audience. When the Current and mno decided to partner on a music special we agreed right away that the hip-hop work happening here is one of the most interesting art scenes in Minnesota. There is a lot of talent, diversity and history here, so let’s call it ‘The State of Hip Hop,’ meaning ‘Minnesota, the State of Hip Hop.'”

“We wanted to provide a forum to showcase hip hop, just like we would provide a forum showcasing any other art form currently active in our community,” said David Roth. “As a producer working with Legacy funds, I have an obligation to tell the story of culture in my area.”

Why are MPR and tpt telling this story?

One of the biggest questions that was raised at the community meeting was why MPR and tpt were the right media companies to start this conversation—or whether the conversation about the state of hip-hop in Minnesota should be started by any media company at all, as opposed to originating from within the community.

This is a complex issue and one that, as I previously mentioned, has resulted in more questions than answers for the planning team. But the conversation has also helped us to sharpen our goals (which we’ll get to very soon) and reflect on exactly what we can and should be offering to the community.

“As public media, we have this megaphone/spotlight that we can shine on our local culture and attempt to bring it to a wider audience,” Jim McGuinn said. “Hip hop in Minnesota is not simple—we won’t be able to cover every nuance and section of the community in one show. But if we can expose some of the leading musical figures and developing artists to a wider audience, we hope that this show can be a starting point for increased understanding and celebration of this vibrant culture.”

Through these discussions, we have learned that the name we initially chose for the event—The State of Hip Hop—created a sense of gravity and suggested a deeper and more philosophical goal for the event than was originally intended. Because of this, we will be changing the name of the May 10 event at the Fitzgerald to something that better represents our mission.

“The initial vision for the State Of Hip Hop special co-produced by the Current and tpt’s MN Original was to produce a celebratory performance special about the Hip Hop scene in Minnesota. Our intention is to present a mix of emerging, mid-career and late-career artists working in this genre locally and broadcast it statewide and worldwide online,” said Dianne Steinbach. “In retrospect, I think the title we began with, ‘The State (meaning, Minnesota) of Hip Hop’ unintentionally conveyed the “state” of hip hop, as in a condition of being, which sparked an emotional and obviously important discussion about the hip-hop community and its relationship with the press.

“Clearly, there is much to discuss here and people are anxious to have that conversation. So are we,” Dianne continued. “As public media professionals we are lucky enough to work with artists every day, and the best part of our job is being able to connect with and share the artist’s work with our audiences. Can we find ways to do it better? Absolutely. Work with us. Do let us know you are out there. Monday night was a good beginning.”

Why is a hip-hop show happening at the Fitz?

Is there anything about the Fitzgerald Theater that screams hip-hop? No, not really. But there are two simple reasons for the venue choice: the Fitz is owned by MPR, and it is MPR’s largest recording studio. The theater is already set up to be ideal for audio and video recording, which will allow both the Current and tpt to create high-quality media documentation of the evening.

Jim McGuinn: “There are many technical reasons why doing this at the Fitz works well for turning this show into TV and radio shows. And it’s a beautiful venue in downtown St. Paul.”

“I agree with Jim,” Dianne added. “Both the Current and tpt have a responsibility to the artists we work with to produce the best audio and video possible. When multiple media entities partner, it is often very hard to find a venue that satisfies the technical needs for high-quality radio recording and the completely different visual needs for television production in lighting and camera placement. And the most important venue requirement is that it have a wonderful acoustic for the enjoyment of the audience in the theater. We are fortunate to have a venue that meets all of those artistic and technical needs, and is one of the finest concert halls in the midwest: the Fitz.”

What are the goals for the May 10 event?

The goals for the May 10 event at the Fitz have not changed significantly since the planning began, but we recognized that we could do a much better job stating those goals publicly. Here are the key things we hope to provide with this event:

A celebration and sampling of some of the great things that the Minnesota hip-hop scene has to offer, presented in a way that honors and represents the community;

A performance-based event with some discussion of what drives and inspires artists, and what makes Minnesota unique; and

A boost in exposure for talented artists who may not be on the radar of the existing tpt, Current, and Fitzgerald Theater audiences.

What are the next steps?

The upcoming event at the Fitz is not a one-off occurrence for tpt and MPR; rather, we hope that it will be just one of the many pieces of dialogue that will take place this spring and summer.

We are in the process of booking acts for the event but still have many slots to be filled, and are open to suggestions in terms of specific acts or themes that could be explored.

We received a tremendous response to our online and paper surveys—nearly 100 responses have been received and read—and we are open and available to answer any additional questions or address other concerns that may still linger in the community.

Feel free to leave a comment below, or follow up with us privately using the email addresses listed above. We hear you, and we will continue to listen and learn from you as this event comes together.

Fantastic, The Twin Cities new era of hip hop is here in a zillion new sonic flavors. Respect to to Twin Cities continued growth in talent and respect to it’s growing culture.

Deanna Johnson

Agreed!

Reid Anderson

If you are serious about representing the whole MPLS hip-hop community, then I hope you reach out to BdotCroc, Rocky Diamonds, and ThatGuySoda. Bdot is a supremely talented female emcee with a unique voice. Rocky Diamonds and ThatGuySoda represent an indie Internet hustle that operates much differently than RSE or DTR affiliated indie projects; both artists rack up impressive downloads on datpiff and livemixtapes and YouTube views. They are what’s now. Thank you for being open to suggestions and ideas.

This is a great look for hip hop and another notch in the belt for Minnesota music. Bravo!!! I hope this show also represents every side of our twin cities,north,south,burbs,to the paul, We all work hard and have alot to share with our Minnesota melting pot family. PS. i think Brand Nu,Skinny, & SoloStar all should be in the ranks of consideration for this monumental event.

Freedom_Baby

This is probably a good thing for all three parties involved – MPR/Current, Local hip hop, and TPT. Gives local hip hop exposure to tpt viewers who may be out of the loop living in rural areas, gives the Current good publicity in the fact that they’re “doing something for the community”, and it brings tpt into the loop and expands their offerings into music. You’re only going to see the top acts here as it’s not so much about doing a noble thing for the community as much as it is for selling tickets and covering the expenses and making profits so MPR/TheCurrent can continue to expand. The station has turned into an incredibly popular and influential beast of a radio station in the twin cities. Beasts need food to keep surviving, and that’s why the member drives have increased over the past years, why they keep asking for more, why their playlists have gone more commercial (anonymous donations from major labels so it’s not payola)… etc.. etc… etc… And people who have noticed that will fault the station for all of the above, however, that’s how business works. They have to continue to expand, because the beast has to eat. They have to show they can continue to be profitable to silent investors so they can pay them off and continue to get funding down the road. They have to sponsor as much as they can to increase their listener base and increase their members. That’s how it works. So, don’t let the perceived nobility of the station blind you, but at the same time don’t fault them for doing what they do. In this market, if you’re not perceived as a “from the roots” type of organization, your street cred goes out the window and you’re toast. Case and point.

Brittany Forsblade

There is only one “Hip Hop High” School in the nation and it’s in St. Paul – High School for Recording Arts. Their work has received international attention and national honors. They should be represented at this forum on some level.

Eric Nelson

The more I hear hip hop on the Current, the less I listen. Pick a format, folks. Start a new station. Do something. I doubt hip hop fans like to listen to Arcade Fire anymore than I like to listen to Atmosphere.

Cecilia Johnson

Actually, I love both. I feel like the Current is all about introducing people to great new/old music – it’s actually taken me from someone who used to listen to only rock/folk/alternative to a real hip hop fan. That said, a spin-off station is not a bad idea. I would really enjoy that, although I’m not sure the listening base is completely there already.

Jordan Sandvig

This conversation is more about representation though. The Current is a Public Radio station, funded directly by it’s listeners and during campaign drives markets itself as a representation of Minneapolis music.

Radio stations should definitely have formats, and stick to them, and maybe an all indie-rock non-public radio station is a fiscal possibility now, but it’s not a reality. And as long as The Current purports to represent the community it exists within – and because of – then it should make an effort to more accurately represent that community. (Something 88.9 in Milwaukee does a little more directly).

And maybe it should opt out of Hip Hop altogether and not try to throw events like this, but I’d rather have it go the other way. Especially with hip hop scene that Minneapolis has.

Mark Janovec

I could not disagree more. The Current doesn’t need to pick any format…it’s only “format” should be good music. If anything, The Current should have MORE variety, not less. Even if I don’t love every song that is played, I’m alright with that as long as I’m being exposed to different music I wouldn’t otherwise hear. I’m totally cool with hearing Atmosphere, The Replacements, Brother Ali, Neko Case, The Clash, Johnny Cash, and Louis Armstrong all blended together during the same half hour.

Anni d’Agni

I am so excited to read this story and to learn more about the event. Sad that I am moving back to Mpls a month too late to actually attend. I am sure the community will come together and present an incredible musical event, as always.

Deanna Johnson

Hip Hop belongs on The Current as a variety of other music does. What is reflected in the special programs (RFC for example) should also play through the daily playlist. It is public radio that should reflect the diversity of such not a narrow focus of repietition. MN is a very diverse and growing musical community. The Current can and should foster that growth, I appreciate the undertaking of work by the staff to see a bigger picture in these community forums, daily playlists, new programs and instilling the best in music that 89.3 can offer.

I would love to see Minnesota Motion (MnM) perform. They are a local group of Hip Hop artists ages 18-28 that are amazingly talented and are role models in the community. They are primarily self taught and work so hard to collaborate with other artists. Carlo Yao and Dao Vongphrachanh are the directors of MnM. The artists are from all over the Twin Cities. Please consider them. They did an amazing job representing MN in Chicago last year at the World of Dance and were the first crew from MN to perform on their stage. http://youtu.be/RJ6JbDq-H9M

Chuck

What was the big controversy here? I missed the meeting but am curious to know why this has become such an issue.

Art McGathey

I wish this wasn’t a serious question, but since The Current has partnered with Grain Belt brewery for their own labeled beer brand, are there plans for The Current 40 ounce Malt Liquor tied in with this Hip Hop show? And when you (hopefully) answer “No!” with a touch of disgust at the suggestion, you may have a bit more understanding how some of us feel about the beer brand in the first place.